Grape Harvest

Mother Nature was generous and gave us a bumper crop this year. But Mother Nature also wanted to test our perseverance and stamina. We had to pick our grapes two weekends in a row when the daily temperature was between 90 -100 degrees. Murphy's law was at its best.

It was hot and humid the weekend before the Labor Day's weekend. We picked the Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. We had to pick very early in the morning before sunrise and late in the afternoon before sunset. It was not easy. I lost 2 lbs. from that streneous exercise.

Thank God, we had 50+ friends and family showed up for the harvest "party" on Labor Day's weekend. Without their help, I don't know if we could have picked all of the Zinfandel and Mourvedre in one evening. Afterward, we all relaxed, took a dip in the pool, having appertizers and drinking Sangria while waiting for the food to finish cooking on the grill! Thanks to cousin Jared, our friend, Hector, and, brother-in-law, Ngon, all three took turn at the grill cooking kabobs and three different kinds of burgers for the large crowd while Michael and Geoff tending to the grape crush.

The theme of the dinner menu was Mediterranean as I tried to serve only healthy food made from fresh vegetables, whole grain products, grape seed oil and lean meat/fish. I paired each dish including dessert with the wines that were served. Everyone asked for the recipe of the Sangria that I made from our Merlot wine and fresh peach. We also served dishes that were made with ingredients harvested from our organic garden. Everyone loved the pear and cherry tomatoes that Michael grew this year. The salsa that Amie made with fresh basil, tomatoes, peppers grown from our garden was a hit. Of course, the watermelon, rum cake and homemade brownies were well received. Everyone told me that our Port wine was especially good with brownies. I just drank it by itself as my dessert! I earned it.

Everyone had a good time. The kids, especially, loved the game quiz and prizes. Justin and Nathan just went nuts. Our friends and family showed their support by bringing friends to join in the fun. The children seemed to have the most fun at the vineyard and in the pool. Michael's cousins showed up in a large number. They are fantastic in helping with everything. Melinda and Derrick were there two weekends in a row. My two sisters and brothers-in-law and friends made up the rest of our loyal workforce for the harvest.

I am grateful for the love and support that our family and friends have showed us during the harvest by volunteering their time and sweat!

I am so glad the harvest is over! We still have lots of wine-making work to do the rest of the year. But, at least, no more worries about the weather, and birds and bees eating up our wine grapes.

Cheers!

Wine Matters: It's harvest time

In the last few weeks, we've been very busy bottling wines, tending our vineyard and getting ready for the harvest.

Our grape vines are doing really well. We expect to have another bountiful harvest this year. Wild creatures are staking out their shares of the crop and making their presence known. Birds are gathering in the vineyards singing their happy tunes and keeping an eye on the grapes. A big coyote shows up every morning walking up and down the rows.

At this time, it is too early to determine the exact dates because we cannot control when the grapes will reach our desired Brix (sugar) level. It all depends on the weather, air temperature, humidity, fog and rain fall in the next few weeks.

We expect a big turn-out for our annual harvest party. Friends and family started to ask about the harvest bash. That's nice to know that they look forward to the harvest as much as we do. We certainly plan to have a good time during the harvest even though there will be a lot of work. But the excitement is building up. Can't wait to see how the 2009 vintage will turn out.

Tribute to Dad

This week, we've just received a letter from the Orange County Commercial Wine Competition congratulating us for winning a Silver Medal for our Zinfandel estate-bottled wine. I wish my dad could have been here so I could have run over to my parents' house and told them about the good news. Like a child, I still crave and long for my dad's attention and words of encouragement. I always could imagine the love and pride in his eyes as he would look at me.

Every Father's Day, I thought of my dad and wished I could give him a bottle of our wines for Father's Day and have him and my mom over for his favorite dinner: a juicy rare filet mignon steak, cooked just the way he liked it with lots of butter in high heat, served with homemade pommes frites, with a big glass of our Mourvedre or Merlot or Syrah wine and a tossed green salad with vinegard-and-oil dressing and slices of slightly green tomatoes.

To Dad! Bon Appetit!

2009 Barrel Tasting Bash

Our barrel tasting bash with friends and family last weekend was a blast. We introduced four estate wines from 2007 vintage that have been aged in oak barrels for 18 months: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel.

The whole winery was washed and shined inside out. The vineyards were mowed and looked beautiful. Landscrapers were hired to plant trees and pruce up the landscape around the winery building. We re-arranged the equipment in the winery to make room for tables and chairs and put on tablecloth and fresh flowers. The tasting area turned out really nice. We displayed some of our wines that have won awards from recent wine competitions. Above long tables laden with appetizers and desserts, we hang Eugene's painting of our wine bottles. We ordered and also made some appetizers to go with each wine. My Mom helped prepare some scrumptious appetizers. She also made her delicious chicken and cabbage salad which was perfect as the first course with sparkling wine. Michael gave a vineyard tour to our friends who have not seen the vineyard. After everyone enjoyed some refreshments, Michael gave a talk about each wine before Geoff extracted the wine from the barrel. Everyone was excited and thrilled to have the opportunity drinking wine directly from the barrel. It was rewarding to see people interested in where the grapes came from and the wine-making process.

Anthony put his bartending skills in good use by pouring tastes from the four 2007 estate wines that were introduced: Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot and Syrah. The 2007 Syrah received rave reviews from everyone. Fans of Cabernet, Merlot and Zinfandel remained faithful and loved every drop.

Here are some notes from the barrel tasting and food that were served:

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon wine is a full-bodied wine with dark ruby color and very nice berry aromas. It has soft tannins and supple finish on the tongue at the end. We served a rare beef with olive oil and caper and Gorgonzola cheese with it.

2007 Zinfandel wine: This zin is a full-bodied red wine, infused with powerful berry aromas, soft tannins and nice mouth feel. It was excellent with the BBQ beef appetizer and a platter of Italian antipasto filled with salami, black and green olives and cheese. Our Zinfandel fans will love this wine a lot.

2007 Merlot wine is a dry, full-bodied wine with beautiful dark ruby color and nice bouquet of ripe berry fruit. We served it with a spicy shrimp and mango appetizer.

2007 Syrah wine is our first release of Syrah. We are so thankful that it has turned out wonderful! It has a very dark color and powerful aromas of berries. It has a wonderful combination of spicy and dry with pepper notes. It is definitely a full-bodied wine that would go well with grilled meat, sausages, pasta, and spicy dishes. It went well with the petit ham sandwiches made from with garlic and olive dip that we offered to our guests.

Of course, we had to serve dessert with our wines. Susie’s chocolate fudge sauce was a big hit with fresh strawberries and Kim’s rum cake. Ruby’s strawberry dessert was all gone in a flash. I was glad that I was able to sneak a small piece during a break. Dark chocolate was served with our Port-style dessert wine. It was heaven.

We were so glad to have our friends and family members joined us in this first-ever barrel tasting bash. Our friends from last year's grape harvest, Carol I. and Letitia, were there. Carol T. and Jerry looked so happy in their retirement. We envy them. They are so lucky that they get to retire in style. Although we are too young to retire now, but the way the economy is heading, we may not get to retire. Our neighbors, Bill and Jayn, came with their nieces and nephews. Our friends, Jackie, the famous fiction author, and her husband, the successful realtor, Thomas, came with their sweet daughter, Allie, and their friend, Andrea, from New York. Michael's cousin, Jim and his friend, Wendy, came. I loved the wine shirt that Wendy wore. We have to get some of those for the girls in our PIDWS club. My friend, Nhu, brought her significant other, Cliff, and a bunch of friends. They were fun. My Mom enjoyed chatting with Nhu and her friends. Other grape harvesters, James and Maria, came and both won prizes from the games. Maria always won something. James told us that she is quite a card player. Maybe, we'll take her to visit the Barona casino next time they come up here. Some of the prize winners went wild and created some excitement and good laugh. Next time, we have to put on some rock-and-roll music (instead of classical music) and watch them move!

After spending many hours getting ready for the party, we were totally exhausted but happy because everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. We’ve received many positive feedback and thank-you notes with requests for making it an annual event.

The word was out and orders have been pouring in steadily for the 2007 vintage. Amie has done an excellent job taking orders! We depend on word of mouth and hope the 2007 vintage will sell out fast. No pain no gain!

Got Wine?

I am excited about our 2007 wines that have aged in oak barrels for the last 18 months. We must have done something right all along because all of them are outstanding in their own right without requiring further TLC or intervention. I can hardly wait to share them at our barrel tasting party.

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Our 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon’s flavors range from black currant, cherry, plum, jammy, bell pepper, chocolate and spice. It should pair well with rich roasted meats such as prime rib with a reduction sauce or with grilled meat and grilled vegetables.

2007 Merlot

Our Merlot by nature is a soft, drinkable wine with rich, plum-like flavors with blueberry and cherry notes. I call it "smooth." We have planted our Merlot grapes in well-drained soils in our sunny vineyards in Ramona. IMHO, our Merlot is an outstanding varietal in its own right. Our Merlot is a wine that people have ordered for their wedding receptions. Perhaps, they fell in love with its beautiful aromas?

2007 Syrah

Our Syrah has a rich crimson color, with enticing aromas of ripe black cherries, violets and sun ripened plums that follow through on the palate. The wine is full bodied, with lush fruit flavors balanced by soft, supple tannins. Our Syrah should pair well with lamb chops, beef steaks, robust and hearty meat dishes and even with roasted chicken with rosemary and garlic.

2007 Zinfandel

Our Zin wine is wildly popular. An extremely versatile wine, Zinfandel pairs well with dishes ranging from BBQ beef to grilled chicken or roast game. In fact, our Zinfandel is usually sold out shortly after each release. Our 2007 Zin is jammy raspberry fruit and hints of pepper, soft and well-integrated tannins and a dry finish. With its balanced acidity, forward fruit and soft tannins, it should pair well with hard to match spicy, and highly seasoned foods and sauces. I love our Zin with practically everything chocolate and especially with Mexican or Asian cuisine. It is heaven on earth.

A good glass of wine can go a long way!

This recession brings many uncertainties. But, one thing you can be certain about is that wine in moderation is good for your health.

With all the buzz from numerous scientific studies that I have read about the health benefits of resveratrol and flavonoids in red wine, wine lovers gotta love that. In the last couple of years, there have been numerous studies which have found evidence that resveratrol, the polyphenolic compound found in red wine from fermentation and maceration with the skins and seeds, may be a tool for fighting an array of health problems, from cancer to aging to Alzheimer's to obesity. I read somewhere that a doctor in Australia even sells his 'Wine Doctor' wine to his patients!

The bottom line is that you shouldn't have to trade down in quality just because the economy is in the tank. These days, a good glass of wine can go a long way. A votre sante!

A good start in 2009!

Mercifully, we had a good start in 2009 despite the daily dose of bad news about the economy. We decided to focus on the vineyard and winery work to take our minds off the downward spiral of the stock market. We even got our own student intern from UCI, Anthony. Sweet kid! We immediately put together an "internship" program to suit his curiosity and eagerness to learn everything about wine making. Good wine starts in the vineyard. So his first lesson was pruning grape vines, between the showers in January. Second lesson: tying new vines to posts. Third lesson: bottling and labeling. Fourth lesson: wine racking. My Goodness! Thanks to Anthony's willingness to learn and our desire to teach; we are catching up and doing really well. Geoff and Michael are happy to have an extra hand around the winery while I am busy preparing for this tax season.

With Geoff, Michael and Anthony's help, the four of us were able to bottle another barrel of 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. Well balanced, good color, nice aftertaste and pleasant aroma. Very approachable, as Michael would say, at a good price! Look for it at Albertson's and our web store.

Kim